Nancy Clay knows what women want in a building design

Nancy Clay knows what women want: Nothing less than a life-altering design.

The president of Ann Arbor-based Willow Building Company has been a home remodeler and custom homebuilder for two decades.

Over that time, she's come to see that, when it comes to building or remodeling their homes, women most often sit in the driver's seat.

National studies have shown that women make 80 percent of all decisions about housing. Clay thinks it may be closer to 90 percent.

And Clay can sum up exactly what women want: "Women are looking for ways to simplify their lives," she said.

That could mean anything from adding a mudroom to putting the laundry room closer to a family's closets.

Clay is turning her experience into practical advice for other builders. She presented an educational seminar for the Home Builders Association of Washtenaw County earlier this year on what women are looking for in home design.

"Women are the consumers, more than men," Clay said. "People have to be in tune with that."

Home designers and builders would be smart to understand what women want, said Ann Arbor architect Michael Klement, principal of Architectural Resource, who sent his staff to Clay's workshop. While he warns against drawing too many stereotypes - he has plenty of male clients who are interested in home design decisions - there is a pattern.

"Not to be sexist, but I do find women leading the process," he said. Right out of the bestseller "Men Are From Mars, Women are From Venus," Klement said he sees female customers gathering the options and considering all of the possibilities.

"It's about the process, which isn't a bad thing," Klement said. He also said women, on the whole, are more concerned about fashion and trends when it comes to home design. "They know what's off the runway. They're more tuned into it," he said.

And what do women want? Cleanability, Klement said. "While the men want to know where the flat-screen TV goes, the women are looking at grout lines."

Women want storage and lots of it, Clay said. Some want enough storage in the bedroom to eliminate dressers. They want places to store backpacks and books and shoes. Convenience is key.

"It needs to be there, right when you walk in the back door," she said.

Women want help in the kitchen, which can mean plenty of pantry space, two dishwashers (one for clean and one for dirty), built-in recycling bins or a mail management center. They love cubbies and message boards. "They want anything that helps keep them organized," Clay said.

They want a kitchen that opens up to other spaces. "Women want the kitchen accessible to other areas so they don't feel isolated," Clay said.

They want convenience, which can show itself with a breakfast bar with a small refrigerator in the master bedroom suite, offering a place to make coffee or tea in the morning. "That way they don't have to run downstairs to make coffee," Clay said.

And they want ways to make life easier when it comes to family pets. They want pet showers in the laundry room, built-in storage hampers for pet food and even feeding shelves to make it easier for large dogs to reach their bowls. "One house I did this year wanted a special area for pet things, like leashes," Clay said.

Women also want help when it comes to design. "They want help with color consultation, tile selection and cabinetry selection," said Clay, who is also an interior designer. "They don't have time to do all things. They want one-stop shopping. They want help consolidating their choices."